Fear – Week 19

I’ve recently taken up playing racquetball. A friend of mine put a mini league together and I joined…I figured what the heck, right? I won a couple games starting out and was feeling pretty good about myself and my future in this new found sport. Then, this past weekend I got humbled, smoked, I took a beatin’…get it? I was beat by a guy faster and many years younger than me…and boy if there is anything that I hate, it’s losing! Now, I can make up all kinds of excuses as to why I lost, but in reality he was just better.

As I was getting beat down thoughts came into my head like “Why are you even playing this game?” “Who are you trying to kid? You’ll never get good at this.”

FEAR. Self doubt. We all have it, like it or not….we all have that voice in our head.

I think we often come up with good ideas, business or otherwise, and are amped up to get started one day then, that pesky voice of fear and self doubt kick in the next.

“Fear is a Powerful form of thought.” ~ Charles Haanal, The Master Key System.

When I first started learning the trade of machining/metalworking, I remember I was so overwhelmed with everything that had to be learned. I wasn’t good at the beginning either, but I eventually got my journeyman’s card in the trade. When I first started racing go karts and eventually race cars I wasn’t good, but with consistency and persistence I got better and have since won championships.

Our fears consist of feeling stupid, being embarrassed, being rejected, to name a few.

Our dreams consist of being seen or recognized for achieving, becoming powerful, creating a legacy, making someone proud, etc.

Your dreams have to outweigh your fears in order to succeed!

“None of these things are particularly difficult to learn, if you are willing to be not very good at them before you’re good at them.” ~ Seth Godin

So, I will continue failing forward, in the frustrating game of racquetball, until I am good!